Kelliher follows Dayton’s lead, releases tax return

DFL-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher released her 2009 tax return form Tuesday, shortly after primary opponent Mark Dayton disclosed his own records. Kelliher, Minnesota’s House speaker, filed her forms jointly with her husband David Kelliher. The couple posted an income of $143,968 for the year.

At first glance Kelliher’s income would appear to place her in the same economic status as Dayton, whose forms showed an income of $172,475.  Yet Dayton’s income is largely dividends and capital gains, and the Kellihers’ earned their income through wages. And while Kelliher’s income for the year provides a view into her family’s true economic situation, for Dayton, the more important information would be the Target heir’s total net worth, an amount not included in his disclosure yesterday.

That divide is indicative of the differences between their campaigns. Kelliher is the traditional Democratic candidate who gained the party’s endorsement at the state convention and the support of many of the states’ unions. Dayton, on the other hand, has bypassed the traditional nomination process and skipped right to running in the primary through a self-funded campaign. He’s already on the air with multiple large ad purchases, while Kelliher has not yet released her first ad. Most recent polls show Dayton with a comfortable lead in the primary.

The other gubernatorial candidates have so far refused to release their tax records. Republican candidate Tom Emmer and the third DFL candidate Matt Entenza have both said they will not disclose their forms, while Independence Party candidate Tom Horner has left open the possibility that he will provide the records in the future. Both Dayton and Kelliher have said they will release future tax records if they are elected to the governorship.